Madison's bones ached as she walked out of the motel this morning, and headed to the bakery. She was thankful that at least she didn't need to board a taxi, as the bakery was only a few blocks away. Also, she needed the little exercise and energy she could derive from walking down the block, as it would aid her today. Her eyes were swollen as a result of sleep deprivation since last night, and she had barely ate anything this morning, choosing to be solemn. She tried to shake off the fatigue she was feeling as she crossed the road, making a turn that would lead her to the bakery almost instantly. The incident of last night had been running through her head all night, and although she tried hard not to think about it, it kept bringing tears to her eyes each time the images replayed itself in her head. She was tired of the repetitive occurrences of bad luck that seemed to follow her wherever she went, but the one thing she was glad of was that she still had a job no matter how measly it was. She had lost the one at the bar, and even though this pay at the bakery meant that would take a little longer now to pay off her debt for the dress, and scrape up her money for her next motel rent, Madison deduced within herself that it would have to do, at least for now. Still in her thoughts, Madison soon reached the bakery, and looking up suddenly she froze in her steps, her eyes narrowing in confusion at the crowd that gathered in front of the small shop. What the hell was going on? Madison wondered, her mind already beginning to race, and looking left and right she wondered if she was making a mistake, and maybe that really wasn't the shop, but a different one. As she walked forward though she was put to shame, because she spotted the small signboard that clearly said 'Chu's Bakery' glaring back at her, and she nearly staggered at the realization that the crowd in front of the shop, was the paparazzi. On catching sight of her, they immediately swarmed her, clicking cameras in her face and throwing questions at her left and right, while she struggled to walk intently on getting to the bakery. After much difficulty, she finally managed to escape them, shutting the door of the bakery behind her, and her hands shook violently as a barrage of questions assaulted her senses. The incident last night was sure to reach the media, and she had expected something like this happening but she didn’t think they would arrive so soon. She knew that what happened last night must have struck up their interest in her again, and seeing that she was the same person having the issues with self acclaimed billionaire Damien Daniels, then a scandal was sure to loom, but it was just to early. How had they even located her? How did they know she worked here? Madison felt frustration well up in her as she rubbed her forehead, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out from her eyes. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? Why was she being attacked left and right? What the hell did they want? She pondered quietly to herself, wishing she could just end this once and for all but she didn’t know how too. Taking steady breaths, she looked up, strengthening her shoulders and putting her purse aside, she picked up her apron that was hanging by the sides, and proceeded to get back to work. As for the paparazzi they would eventually get tired and leave, and she wouldn’t let them ruin her day. Quickly, she tied her hair into a high bun and putting on her gloves, she started to walk into the kitchen, only to come to another abrupt halt, when she saw Mrs Chu standing at the counter, a worried look on her face. She immediately stood when she heard Madison walk in, and faced her squarely all the while, Madison could only shake terribly as dread filled her immediately. "Good morning, Mrs Chu.” Madison greeted forcing a warm smile on her face, that appeared quite genuine actually and that she was grateful for. "Did you come in through the front door?" Mrs Chu asked, her tone sharp, and swallowing a huge lump of saliva that seemed to have been stuck down her throat, Madison nodded uttering out an almost inaudible yes. "Good. So I assume you must have seen the spectacle out there? The paparazzi in so many large groups…and from what I heard they're here because of you. You seem to have been all over the news lately." Madison wished she could deny it, but she couldn't. All she could do was nod as she stared down at her feet, and began, "You are absolutely right Ma’am, and I’m really sorry, it won't happen ag…" The old lady stopped her by raising her hand, cutting her of rudely as she began yet again, “Look, I've had enough experience to know that anything that involves a scandal and the media is never good news. I've had this bakery for years and I've been loving it. I am okay with the way things are going, and even though it’s small, it caters to my every need. The last thing I need now to spoil or tarnish my business name in any way, is this kind of attention, and I'm sorry to say this but I’ll have to lay you off. You have to leave.""W-what?" Madison let out a strangled cry, her chest squeezing as tears began to drop from her eyes, “P-please…I.. I'm sorry I don't know what else to do. You can’t just let me off like that and I promise to—" Mrs Chu shook her head vehemently, dipping her hand into the front of her apron and taking a wad of cash which she tossed at Madison, "I've worked way too hard to let this scare my customers away, so please take that for all the trouble you’ve spent here and leave. You're fired." "Mrs Chu, please…" Madison began, but the old lady was adamant and standing straight, she swiveled around and began to go about her duties as if no one was there. “Please ma’am…” Madison continued to beg, knowing that she just couldn’t accept this but what happened next, shook her down bad to the core. Mrs Chu rinsed her hand, and walking towards Madison, and saying nothing she started to peel the apron of her back, and placing her purse back in her hands, the old woman extended her hands pointing at the door, and sending her out of the small building through the back door. “But ma…” Madison began again, casting one last glance into the bakery as she stepped out, breaking down in a mess of tears as the door was shut in her face. She slumped to the floor in disbelief, another heavy stream of tears tearing down her cheeks as she buried her face in her hands. How had she lost two of her jobs in less than three days? Why was it that every single time things started to look good for her, something happened to change it…to take it all away. At this point she began to wonder if she was cursed, or she started to believe it rather because this past few days had been so tough on her. Why…why was all this happening to her? All she wanted was to make a decent life for herself, have three square meals to eat, and a roof over her head, nothing less. Was it too much to ask? Couldn’t she dream about it for once? Now she had no means to pay for the dress, no job to work her ass off, and take her mind of the worries in her head, and most importantly the motel manager would waste no time in kicking her out as soon as her rent expired. With tear-filled eyes and a hollow heart, Madison marveled at how she was back to square one in less than a week.